The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

[kynikos]

With sincere honesty, without legislation to force companies to do the right thing bike will not make safety improvements. They will make aesthetic improvements and functional additions but are not inclined to R&D the design. They make money just fine as is. So should cyclists rebel and not wear helmets? Sure go right a head if it suits you. Until that in which you get a head injury and finally realize some protection is better than none. You could be lucky fool who never wears a helmet as you do your "tour de France" through life and never hits your head. Good luck.

As a 'lucky fool' who's been riding bikes for over 60 years without serious injury I count my blessings and good luck to you, too.

The risk of a traumatic brain injury whilst cycling unhelmeted is estimated at around 0.41 per million hours travelled or, if I cycle for 2 hours a day, once every 3,300 years or so.
The figure for unhelmeted motor vehicle occupants is similar (0.46); I'll continue to do the little bit of driving I do also without a helmet.
The figure for pedestrians is a fair bit higher at 0.80 per million hours travelled - near enough to cycling for me to make a similar judgement - which leads me to my question:

As the risk whilst you're walking is greater than your risk when you're cycling will you also make a similar judgement - and wear a helmet whilst out perambulating?

(For motorcyclists it's 7.66 so I'll agree with your choice for that mode of travel)

 

[Cycling_Samurai]

Hi lucky fool, I'm sure your post about your decision to not wear a helmet leaves you feeling vindicated. Well great no need to waste time posting about that then eh?

Interestingly one can smoke all of their lives and not get cancer. Then there are those who never smoke and get cancer. Same in regard to using sunblock.

Every person on earth is a pedestrian unless they can't walk. So I'm not inclined to take limited studies on the topic as a definitive answer.

Have a good day sir.

 

[snorri]

i have seen lots of things dropped by people working on ladders. Even paint can be a health hazard apart from the staining aspect and is probably one of the most common.

The above is in response to a post of mine from five and half years ago. I'd forgotten all about it.

 

[Cycling_Samurai]

Surely you must concede a helmet makes your head a lot bigger; somewhere between 50 and 100% bigger. That increases the chance od hitting your head in an accident, and by quite a lot.

The other inconvenient fact is whenever there's a comparison of head injury rates before and after compulsion where helmet wearing has increased from low % to 90%+ the head injury rates have not improved, and maybe even got worse. You argue, seemingly relying on "it's obvious", and yet if you look at the numbers the result doesn't agree with "common sense"

I used to think like you. I looked into it and no longer wear a helmet cycling

Rubbish. Wearing a helmet doesn't make one's head bigger otherwise there would be some big headed people.

 

[snorri]

Rubbish. Wearing a helmet doesn't make one's head bigger otherwise there would be some big headed people.

Consider two people of 175 cm in height walking in the dark and unaware of a steel beam across the path at a height of 176 cm. Which one is likely to suffer from an impact, the helmet wearer or the non helmet wearer?
I would expect the helmet wearer to suffer a neck injury.

 

[snorri]

Edit.......That emoji was a typo, but I can't edit post until moderator has approved the post.

 

[Deleted User]

Do helmet wearing Cyclists genuinely have an issue with non wearers?

Never heard of it, how about the other way round?

I wear one but couldn't care less if others don't, I'm not really sure why to be honest as I quite fancy one those 'little boy' caps some have.

 

[Cycling_Samurai]

Do helmet wearing Cyclists genuinely have an issue with non wearers?

Never heard of it, how about the other way round?

I wear one but couldn't care less if others don't, I'm not really sure why to be honest as I quite fancy one those 'little boy' caps some have.

No not in the least

Only on this chat forum it seems.

I have thought the cap thing was silly. But could be practical when facing the sun whilst cycling. But largely unsafe as it limits the field of vision.

 

[classic33]

Do helmet wearing Cyclists genuinely have an issue with non wearers?

Never heard of it, how about the other way round?

I wear one but couldn't care less if others don't, I'm not really sure why to be honest as I quite fancy one those 'little boy' caps some have.

I'm not keen on those, on either side of the argument, who demand that their view is the only one that matters. I want the choice of what I wear whilst cycling, and if that doesn't meet with your approval then tough.

My view/opinion on what I should wear is just that, mine!

 

[Tripster]

Consider two people of 175 cm in height walking in the dark and unaware of a steel beam across the path at a height of 176 cm. Which one is likely to suffer from an impact, the helmet wearer or the non helmet wearer?
I would expect the helmet wearer to suffer a neck injury.

How many steel beams do you see across a uk road ? Ridiculous analogy

 

[Tripster]

Do helmet wearing Cyclists genuinely have an issue with non wearers?

Never heard of it, how about the other way round?

I wear one but couldn't care less if others don't, I'm not really sure why to be honest as I quite fancy one those 'little boy' caps some have.

I dont think helmets or caps are the most fetching of attire but of the two I prefer cycle helmet. Something about the new born babies baseball caps from Mamas & PapasA nappy and rattle would finish the look rather than a bike. I cant help but picture a group of cyclist stood around with dummies and nappies on sipping tea...... As ugly as the polystyrene bonnet is I will stick with it

 

[ianrauk]

Do helmet wearing Cyclists genuinely have an issue with non wearers

Some do, yes.
A good few times over the years, on my commute and on rides such as Audax, other cyclists have either asked why I wasn't wearing a helmet or that I should be wearing one.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Cycling is a safe activity. Cyclists can expect a severe head injury once every 8,000 years of average cycling.

Wearing a helmet can increase the risk of accident. Wearing a device that increases the risk of accidents may not be the most effective way to enhance safety. It is ironic that a cracked helmet is hailed as “proof” it saved a life, while the accident may not have happened without it.

It is easy to be mislead, especially after a traumatic experience. It is important to be realistic about helmets capabilities, and to base that assessment on facts. Overestimating their protection can be dangerous. After a serious accident, it is too late to discover that bicycle helmets are not designed to protect in a serious impact.

Bicycle helmets can be insidious:

At first, they seem to protect.
They tend to increase the risk of accidents.
They do not offer adequate protection in a serious accident.
Does the protection compensate for more accidents?

 

[Milkfloat]

Do helmet wearing Cyclists genuinely have an issue with non wearers?

No not in the least

You yourself literally called non helmet wearers fools.

 

[ianrauk]

But largely unsafe as it limits the field of vision.

Rubbish. Of course they don't.